Employers add a stunning 236,000 jobs in Feb.

8:25 PM, March 8, 2013
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FILE - FEBRUARY 26: JPMorgan Chase & Co. announced on February 26, 2013 that the company would cut 4,000 jobs this year to trim expenses by $1 billion. SAN RAFAEL, CA - JANUARY 04: A pedestrian walks by a "now hiring" sign that is posted in the window of a Chase bank branch on January 4, 2013 in San Rafael, California. According to a Labor Department December jobs report, the U.S. unemployment remained the same from November at 7.8% as employers added 155,000 jobs in December. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 144308431 ORIG FILE ID: 158957371 / Justin Sullivan Getty Images

The consensus forecast of economists had estimated the economy added about 160,000 jobs in February.

Businesses added 246,000 jobs, while federal, state and local governments cut 10,000. Professional and business services, construction and health care led broad-based job gains.

The Labor Department revised down job gains for December and January by 15,000. December's net payroll jobs were revised up to 219,000 from 196,000, while January's were revised down to 119,000 from 157,000.

Some economists had been looking for strong gains after a report Thursday showed the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits for the first time fell 7,000 to 340,000 in the latest week, and the four-week average of claims dipped to the lowest level in five years. Also, private payroll processor ADP estimated that businesses added 198,000 jobs last month.

Monthly job gains of 200,000 or more are typically needed to quickly bring down the unemployment rate. Job growth picked up last year to an average monthly pace of 181,000.

"We're slowly and steadily accelerating," says economist Joel Naroff of Naroff Economic Advisors. "The private side of the economy is in good shape. It's the public sector that's holding up" even stronger payroll growth.

Naroff expects average monthly job gains of 200,000-plus this year if the White House and Congress can agree to put off the budget cuts. If all the reductions occur, it likely would mean monthly gains of about 165,000, he says.

Business sentiment remains mixed amid the uncertainty in Washington. Thirty-three percent of executives plan to grow their staffs this year, 38% plan to reduce them and 29% expect no change, according to a first-quarter survey released this week by business consulting firm CEB.

In February, a broader gauge of distress in the job market - the underemployment rate - which includes discouraged Americans who have stopped looking for work and part-time workers who want full-time jobs, also fell to 14.3% from 14.4%.

Other signals were positive, too. The average workweek edged up to 34.5 hours from 34.4 hours in January. Employers often increase hours for existing employees before hiring. And average hourly earnings rose 4 cents to $23.82

Some economists still expect payroll additions this year could be slowed by Washington's recent failure to renew a payroll tax cut, plus $85 billion in across-the-board federal spending cuts that started to take effect March 1.

But the economy has proved resilient so far. Measures of manufacturing and service-sector activity both showed growth in February.

And the housing rebound is sparking job gains in a range of industries, from construction to furniture sales and mortgage lending. Rising home and stock prices are making consumers feel wealthier, helping offset the effects of the payroll tax increase and higher gasoline prices.